Gift messaging based customer acquisition

ABSTRACT

Contact information for a recipient and an audio recording of a message from a sender to the recipient are obtained from a network node in a communication session with a network node associated with the sender. Based on the contact information, a notification that the recorded audio message is available is sent the recipient. Based on receipt of a request in connection with the notification, an audio message including an invitation for the recipient to specify an opt-in preference regarding receipt of direct marketing communications is transmitted to the recipient. Receipt of an indication of the recipient&#39;s opt-in preference triggers both a playback of the audio recording of the message on the recipient&#39;s network node and the generation of a marketing preference record that includes an indication of the recipient&#39;s opt-in preference and information evidencing that indication.

BACKGROUND

Businesses use a variety of different marketing methods to attract newcustomers. These marketing methods range from mass marketing campaignsthat involve broadcasting marketing messages to potential customerswithout regard to market segment differences, to direct marketingcampaigns that involve marketing directly to consumers. Mass marketingstrategies reach a large audience of potential customers but arerelatively inefficient in converting potential customers into actualcustomers, whereas direct marketing campaigns reach only a relativelysmall number of potential customers but are much more effective inconverting potential customers into actual customers.

The first step in developing an effective direct marketing campaign isto define the target market for the campaign. Oftentimes, however, thetarget market of a campaign is difficult and expensive to determine. Forexample, the development of a well-defined target market typicallyrequires personal information, such as the preferences and habits ofpotential customers, which typically is not readily available.Oftentimes such information is obtained through expensive,labor-intensive in-person interviews, online surveys, and the like.

Some businesses provide electronic gifting services that allow customersto purchase gifts for delivery to respective recipients. Such giftingservices provide opportunities for these businesses to obtaininformation about potential customers (the gift recipients) with littlecost or effort. This information, however, oftentimes is limited togifting transaction information, such as names and addresses of thecustomers and the gift recipients and details regarding the delivery ofthe gifts. Such information typically is not sufficient for launching aneffective direct marketing campaign to the gift recipients. Moreover,many country, state, and municipal jurisdictions have promulgated rulesand regulations that prohibit or significantly constrain the ability touse a person's personal data for direct marketing purposes withoutconsent.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of gift messagingbased customer acquisition.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a gifting system thatfacilitates gift giving by a gift giver to a gift recipient.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing examples of interactions betweenthe gifting system, the gift giver, and the gift recipient of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of gift messagingbased customer acquisition.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for purchasing a gift and designating thepurchase as a gift.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for selecting gift options and specifying amessage for a gift recipient.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for deferring specification of a giftmessage.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a reminder message.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for specifying a gift message for a giftrecipient.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a gift message.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of gift messagingbased customer acquisition.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for providing a gift message and obtainingcustomer acquisition information from a gift recipient.

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for providing a gift message and obtainingcustomer acquisition information from a gift recipient.

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a network resourcepresenting a user interface for providing a gift message and obtainingcustomer acquisition information from a gift recipient.

FIG. 15 is a diagrammatic view of an example of a gift recipient'ssocial network web page that includes a section for sharing a giftmessage received by the gift recipient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, like reference numbers are used toidentify like elements. Furthermore, the drawings are intended toillustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a diagrammaticmanner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actualembodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and arenot drawn to scale. In the drawings, dashed lines indicated optionalfeatures of the disclosed example.

I. Definition of Terms

A “product” is any tangible or intangible good or service that isavailable for purchase or use.

“Product purchase information” is information related to the purchase ofa product. Product purchase information includes, for example, purchaseconfirmations (e.g., receipts), product order information (e.g.,merchant name, order number, order date, product description, productname, product quantity, product price, sales tax, shipping cost, andorder total), and product shipping information (e.g., billing address,shipping company, shipping address, estimated shipping date, estimateddelivery date, and tracking number).

A “computer” is any machine, device, or apparatus that processes dataaccording to computer-readable instructions that are stored on acomputer-readable medium either temporarily or permanently. A “computeroperating system” is a software component of a computer system thatmanages and coordinates the performance of tasks and the sharing ofcomputing and hardware resources. A “software application” (alsoreferred to as software, an application, computer software, a computerapplication, a program, and a computer program) is a set of instructionsthat a computer can interpret and execute to perform one or morespecific tasks. A “data file” is a block of information that durablystores data for use by a software application.

The term “computer-readable medium” (also referred to herein as“memory”) refers to any tangible, non-transitory medium capable storinginformation (e.g., instructions and data) that is readable by a machine(e.g., a computer). Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying suchinformation include, but are not limited to, all forms of physical,non-transitory computer-readable memory, including, for example,semiconductor memory devices, such as random access memory (RAM), EPROM,EEPROM, and Flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal harddisks and removable hard disks, magneto-optical disks, and opticaldiscs, such as DVD-ROM/RAM and CD-ROM/RAM.

A “network node” (also referred to simply as a “node”) is a physicaljunction or connection point in a communications network. Examples ofnetwork nodes include, but are not limited to, a terminal, a computer,and a network switch. A “server node” is a network node that responds torequests for information or service. A “client node” is a network nodethat requests information or service from a server node.

A “network resource” is anything that can be accessed over a network,including a network node, an electronic document, an image, a source ofinformation, a service, operators and operands of a mathematicalequation, classes, properties, numeric values, and a collection of otherresources.

A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a string of characters thatidentifies a network resource.

A “Universally Unique Identifier” (UUID; also referred to as a “globallyunique identifier,” or GUID) is a number that is used to uniquelyidentify an object in a computer system or on a network (e.g., theinternet). A UUID is generated without requiring a centralized serviceor authority to administer. Depending on the specific mechanism used togenerate a universally unique identifier, the UUID either is guaranteedto be different or is at least extremely likely to be different from anyother UUID.

A “link” refers to an object (e.g., a piece of text, an image or an areaof an image) that loads a hypertext link reference into a target windowwhen selected. A link typically includes an identifier or connectionhandle (e.g., a uniform resource identifier (URI)) that can be used toestablish a network connection with a communicant, resource, or serviceon a network node.

As used herein, the term “web page” refers to any type of resource ofinformation (e.g., a document, such as an HTML or XHTML document) thatis suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a webbrowser. A web page typically contains information, graphics, andhyperlinks to other web pages and files. A “web site” includes one ormore web pages that are made available through what appears to users asa single web server.

“Customer acquisition information” refers to any information relating tolocating, qualifying, or securing the business of new customers. Thisinformation includes, for example, information relating to leadgeneration, lead acquisition, marketing information, sales information,and links to such information (e.g., hyperlinks associated with suchinformation, and information (e.g., unique identifiers and the like) fortracking gift recipients).

As used herein, the term “includes” means includes but not limited to,the term “including” means including but not limited to. The term “basedon” means based at least in part on.

II. Introduction

The examples that are described herein provide systems, methods, andcomputer-readable media for gift messaging based customer acquisitionthat solve certain problems involved in developing an effective directmarketing campaign for a gift recipient in a cost effective way byleveraging a gift recipient's desire to receive a personalized giftmessage from an existing customer (i.e., the gift giver) to incentivizethe gift recipient to receive various customer acquisition efforts,including promotions and other marketing information, and requests forpersonal information and consent to use such information for directmarketing purposes.

Some examples of these systems and methods are embodied in a giftingsystem that is embedded in a gifting process flow that allows a giftgiver to purchase a gift for a gift recipient. Examples of the giftingsystem enable the gift giver to create a custom message for the giftrecipient. After the gift is purchased, the gift is sent to the giftrecipient along with a message notification that informs the giftrecipient that a custom message from the gift giver can be accessedonline using tracking information associated with the messagenotification. Upon receiving the tracking information from the giftrecipient, examples of the gifting system present the custom message tothe gift recipient along with auxiliary customer acquisition informationthat the gifting system determines is potentially relevant to the giftrecipient (e.g., based on attributes of the purchased gift, the giftgiver, and the gift recipient). Examples of such auxiliary customeracquisition information include promotions, cross-sellingrecommendations, and product registration opportunities, andopportunities for the gift recipient to indicate his or her marketingconsent or preferences. In this way, the gifting system leverages thegoodwill associated with the gifting experience combined with the custommessage from the gift giver to make the gift recipient more receptive tothe post-purchase customer acquisition efforts.

III. Gift Messaging Based Customer Acquisition

FIG. 1 shows an example of a method of gift messaging based customeracquisition that is implemented by an example of a gifting method inwhich a gift giver selects a gift for delivery to a gift recipient. Inaccordance with this method, a gifting system receives a selection of agift for delivery to a gift recipient from a first network nodeassociated with a gift giver (FIG. 1, block 10). Based on input receivedfrom the first network node, the gifting system determines a message forthe gift recipient (FIG. 1, block 12). The gifting system generates amessage notification that includes access information for accessing thegift message (FIG. 1, block 14). The gifting system associates theaccess information with the message (FIG. 1, block 16). The giftingsystem institutes delivery of the gift and the message notification tothe gift recipient (FIG. 1, block 18). The gifting system receives arequest that includes the access information from a second network node(FIG. 1, block 20). Responsive to the request, the gifting systemtransmits the message to the second network node based on theassociation between the access information and the message, andtransmits auxiliary customer acquisition information to the secondnetwork node (FIG. 1, block 22).

The gift giver may be an existing customer of the gifting system or anew customer. In either case, the gifting system typically obtainscertain personal information about the gift giver through, for example,a customer registration process or a checkout process. Examples of suchpersonal information include contact information (e.g., name, residenceaddress, email address, and telephone number), survey information (e.g.,demographic information, interests, and preferences), and paymentinformation. The gift giver's network node typically is an electronicdata processing device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer,tablet computer or a mobile telephone, that is capable of interfacingthe gift giver with the gifting system. In some examples, the giftingsystem provides a user interface (e.g., a web page based interface)through which the gift giver selects the gift. Depending on the businessmodel of the gifting system, the gift may be available for purchase orfree of charge. The gift may be any type of product or service,including physical gift items, electronic gift items, serviceagreements, and redeemable gift instruments, such as gift cards, giftcertificates, gift codes, and the like. If the gift giver is a newcustomer, the gifting system typically provides to the gift giver one ormore input screens for receiving contact information (e.g., name,mailing address, email address, and telephone number) and optionallypayment information for the gift giver. The gifting system also providesone or more screens for receiving contact information (e.g., name,shipping address, email address, and telephone number) for the giftrecipient.

The gifting system provides the gift giver with the option of includinga message with the gift. In general, the gift message may include anytype of message content that can be stored and presented to the giftrecipient at a later time, including textual content, audio content, andvideo content. The gift message may be a message created by the giftgiver (e.g., a text message or an audio or video recording of the giftgiver speaking the message) or it may be a message selected from a setgeneric stock messages provided by the gifting system and personalizedby the gift giver. The gifting system may provide a user interface andonline tools that enable the gift giver to create the gift message,customize a generic stock gift message, or upload a previously createdgift message.

The message notification notifies the gift recipient of the availabilityof the gift message and provides instructions for accessing the giftmessage. The gift message may be presented in a wide variety ofdifferent message formats, including a text message printed on aphysical medium, and an electronic message (e.g., an email message, anSMS text message, an audio message, and a video message) sent from a webresource or a telephony resource for presentation on a network nodeassociated with the gift recipient.

The access information that enables the gift recipient to access thegift message typically includes tracking information. In some examples,the tracking information includes a message source identifier, such as auniform resource identifier (URI)) of a web resource (e.g., a web siteor a web page) or other identifier or code (e.g., a telephone number) ofanother type of resource from which gift recipient can access the giftmessage. The access information also typically includes a giftingtransaction specific identifier that can be used to identify the giftmessage. In some examples, the gifting transaction specific identifieris a universally unique identifier (UUID) that the gifting system hasassociated with one or more elements of the gifting transaction (e.g.,one or more of the gift, the gift giver, the gift recipient, and thegift message). In some of these examples, the gifting transactionspecific UUID may be assigned to the message notification or the giftmessage. In this regard, the gifting system typically stores the giftingtransaction specific UUID and one or more identifiers of the one or moreelements of the gifting transaction (e.g., an identifier of the vendingservice from which the gift is purchased, a gift purchase transactionidentifier, an order identifier, and a stock keeping unit (SKU)identifier of each product that is part of the gift) in one or more datarecords in a relational database. In this way, the gifting system alsoassociates the access information with the message. The accessinformation may be presented in a human-readable format (e.g., textualmessage providing instructions for accessing the gift message) or in amachine-readable format (e.g., a barcode, such as a Quick Response (QR)code) that is readable by devices that are commonly available to users(e.g., a mobile device that is equipped with a camera and barcodereading software).

In some examples, the gifting system engages a third-party shippingservice to deliver a gift package containing the gift to the giftrecipient. Depending on the business model of the gifting system, thegift package may include the message notification or the messagenotification may be delivered to the gift recipient separately from thegift package.

In examples in which the gift and the message notification arephysically delivered to the gift recipient in the same gift package, themessage notification typically is a text based message that is printedon a physical medium (e.g., a packing slip or other insert) that isincluded in or to or otherwise associated with the gift package. In someexamples, the access information is included on the same physical mediumas the message notification.

In examples in which the gift and the message notification are deliveredseparately to the gift recipient, the message notification typically isan electronic message (e.g., an email message or a Short Message Service(SMS) message) that may be presented to the gift recipient in any of avariety of different human-perceptible formats (e.g., a text, audio, orvideo message). In these examples, the access information may beincluded in the electronic message in a human-readable format (e.g.,textual message providing instructions for accessing the gift message)or in a machine-readable format (e.g., a hyperlink that is associatedwith textual instructions to select the hyperlink, and a URI of a webresource for accessing the gift message). In some examples, the giftingsystem transmits the message notification to the gift recipient on adate specified by the gift giver or after confirming that the gift hasbeen delivered to the gift recipient (e.g., based on the purchasetransaction information, the gifting system can use the tracking systemof the shipping service to determine the delivery status of the gift).

The gifting system typically receives the message access request thatincludes the access information after the gift and the messagenotification have been delivered. The message access request is receivedin accordance with the type of access information that was included withthe message notification. For example, if the access informationincluded a URI for a web resource, the message access request typicallyis received over an internet connection from a web browser component ofthe gift recipient's network node. If the access information included atelephone number, on the other hand, the message access requesttypically is received over a telephony connection with the giftrecipient's telephony enabled network node.

In some examples, the gifting system extracts the gifting transactionspecific UUID from the access information and uses the giftingtransaction specific UUID to determine the gift message. In someexamples, the gifting system uses the UUID as an index into a relationaldatabase to determine an identifier (e.g., a UUID) of the gift message.The gifting system then uses the identifier of the gift message toretrieve the gift message from memory storage for transmission to thegift recipient's network node for presentation to the gift recipient.The gifting system also transmits auxiliary customer acquisitioninformation to the gift recipient's network node. The auxiliary customeracquisition information may include any type of customer acquisitioninformation, including, for example, information relating to leadgeneration, lead acquisition, marketing information, sales information,and links to such information. Examples of such customer acquisitioninformation include promotions, cross-selling recommendations, requestsfor acquiring personal information from the gift recipient (e.g., aproduct registration form that requires certain personal information inorder to receive enhanced product warranties or other benefits), andopportunities to acquire the gift recipient's marketing consent orpreferences. In some examples, the gifting system determines thecustomer acquisition information based on, for example, attributes ofthe gifting transaction, including the gift giver, the gift recipient,the gift, and the gift message.

FIG. 2 shows an example 30 of the gifting system that facilitates giftgiving by a gift giver 32 to a gift recipient 34. The gifting system 30includes a vending service 36, a messaging service 38, a customeracquisition service 40, and a database 42 that associates the giftingtransaction specific identifier with information about the gift purchasetransaction (e.g., retailer identifier, purchase transaction identifier,order identifier, and SKUs for each individual product). In otherexamples, the messaging service 38 and the database 42 are components ofthe gifting system, whereas the vending service 36 and the customeracquisition service 40 are components of a separate entity (e.g., anonline retailer, such as Amazon.com, Inc., Apple, Inc., Barnes & Nobel,Inc., and Wal-mart.com USA, LLC.) that is referred to herein as a“vendor.” In these examples, the vendor leverages the messaging anddatabase services of the gifting system through application programminginterfaces (APIs) that are published by the gifting system. In some ofthese examples, the vendor performs the first receiving step (FIG. 1,block 10) of the gift messaging based customer acquisition method ofFIG. 1, and the gifting system performs the remaining steps of themethod (FIG. 1, blocks 12-22). In other examples, the vendor performsthe first receiving step and the instituting step (FIG. 1, blocks 10 and18) of the gift messaging based customer acquisition method of FIG. 1,and the gifting system performs the remaining steps of the method (FIG.1, blocks 12-16 and 20-22). In examples in which the gifting system 30consists of the messaging service 38 and the database 43, gifting system30 typically interacts with the gift giver 32 and the gift recipient 34via a web widget or other plugin in association with a network resource(e.g., a web page) that is affiliated with the vendor.

FIG. 3 shows exemplary interactions between an example of the giftingsystem 30, the gift giver 32, and the gift recipient 34 of FIG. 2. Inaccordance with this example, the gifting system 30 presents a giftselection to the gift giver 32 (step 50). The gift giver 32 selects agift for delivery to a designated gift recipient 34 (step 52). Thegifting system 30 also provides the gift giver 32 with a deferrableoption to specify a gift message for the gift recipient. The gift giver32 may specify the gift message in connection with the purchasetransaction (e.g., during the checkout process flow or after orderconfirmation). Alternatively, the gift giver 32 may elect to deferspecifying the gift message to a later time. If the gift giver 32selects the message specification deferment option, the gifting system30 prompts the gift giver 32 to provide his or her contact informationfor receiving a reminder message that invites the gift giver to specifya gift message for the gift recipient. After confirmation that the giftpurchase transaction has been completed, the gifting system 30 uses thecontact information to send the gift giver 32 a reminder message thatincludes a link to a network resource for specifying the gift message(step 53). Either in connection with the purchase transaction or afterthe gift giver 32 selects the link in the reminder message, the giftingsystem 30 provides the gift giver 32 with one or more messagespecification tools (step 54). Using the message specification tools,the gift giver 32 can, for example, create a gift message, modify apreexisting (e.g., stock) gift message, or upload a gift message (step56). In the illustrated example, the gifting system 30 creates a giftpackage that contains a notification message that informs the giftrecipient of the availability of the gift message and includes accessinformation that enables the gift recipient 34 to access the giftmessage, and engages a third-party shipping service to deliver the giftpackage to the gift recipient 34 (step 58). In other examples, thegifting system 30 sends the notification message separately from thegift package (e.g., in an electronic message addressed to a electronicmail, text, or facsimile messaging account of the gift recipient). Insome examples, the notification message is sent to the gift recipientafter the gifting system 30 receives confirmation that the gift packagehas been delivered to the gift recipient 34. In some examples (e.g.,when the gift giver 32 decides to cancel the message or the retailercannot fulfill the order, such as when the gift is unavailable orpayment for the gift failed authorization), the vendor sends themessaging service 38 a cancellation message instructing the messagingservice 38 to cancel the gift message. Depending on when thecancellation message is received by the messaging service 38, themessaging service 38 either may omit sending the reminder messageinviting the gift giver 32 to create the gift message or omit sendingthe notification message inviting the gift recipient 34 to access thegift message. After receiving the notification message, the giftrecipient 34 provides the access information to the gifting system 30(step 60). In response to receipt of the access information, the giftingsystem 30 transmits the gift message and the auxiliary customeracquisition information to the gift recipient 34 (step 62).

In the methods described herein, the gifting system 30 leverages thegift messaging service to generate multiple opportunities (“touchpoints” on the consumers' purchase decision paths) for the vendor to,for example, promote products to or obtain marketing consent from thegift giver 32 and the gift recipient 34. For example, by providing thedeferrable message specification option that allows the gift giver 32 todefer the specification of the gift message to a later time, the giftingsystem 30 not only provides a convenience to a gift giver who does notcurrently have the time or interest to specify the gift message duringthe purchase transaction, but also generates another opportunity for thevendor to reengage the gift giver with additional customer acquisitionefforts. Furthermore, in addition to reminding the gift giver 32 tospecify a gift message, the reminder message also may include a link toinstall on the gift giver's communication device an application (alsoreferred to as an “app”) that is affiliated with the vendor and providesaccess to one or more network resources of the vendor for the gift giver32 to, for example, specify the gift message, purchase additionalproducts, and view product promotions and other customer acquisitioninformation. A similar application installation link also may beincorporated in the notification message that is sent to the giftrecipient 34 to provide access to one or more network resources of thevendor for the gift recipient 34 to, for example, view the gift message,purchase products, and view product promotions and other customeracquisition information.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a method of gift messaging based customeracquisition. This method typically is performed by at least one servernode of the gifting system 30. In accordance with this method, during apurchase transaction between a server network node associated with avendor and a client network node associated with a product purchaser andregarding a product designated as a gift for a gift recipient, adeferrable option to specify a gift message for the gift recipient ispresented (FIG. 4, block 63). Based on receipt of a request from theclient network node in connection with the deferrable option to deferspecification of a gift message for the gift recipient, an electronicmessaging address is obtained from the client network node (FIG. 4,block 64). An electronic reminder message that includes an invitation tospecify a gift message in association with the product is sent to theelectronic messaging address (FIG. 4, block 65). Based on receipt of aresponse to the invitation, a gift message and contact information ofthe gift recipient are obtained (FIG. 4, block 66). Based on the contactinformation of the gift recipient, an electronic notification messagethat includes access information for accessing the gift message istransmitted to the gift recipient (FIG. 4, block 67). In response toreceipt of a request from a requesting client network node that includesthe access information, the gift message is provided to the requestingclient network node (FIG. 4, block 68).

In some examples, in response to receipt of the request from the clientnetwork node in connection with the deferrable option (FIG. 4, block64), the gifting system 30 associates a universally unique identifier(UUID) with the purchase transaction. The gifting system typicallyincludes the UUID in the invitation to specify the gift message forincorporation in the response to the invitation. This allows the giftingsystem 30 to extract the UUID from the response to the invitation. Basedon the UUID extracted from the response the invitation, the giftingsystem 30 typically associates the gift message with the purchasetransaction.

In some examples, the process of obtaining the gift messagespecification from the gift giver includes supplying the gift giver witha network resource (e.g., a web page) for specifying the gift message.In some of these examples, the response to the invitation to specify thegift message includes the gifting transaction specific identifier andinformation about the gift purchase transaction (e.g., retaileridentifier, purchase transaction identifier, order identifier, and SKUsfor each individual product) is obtained from the database 42 based onthe association between the gifting transaction specific identifier andthe gift purchase transaction information. In some of these examples,the gifting transaction specific identifier is embedded in a networkresource link that is incorporated in the reminder message that is sentto the gift giver. The gifting transaction specific identifier then maybe used in a database lookup to determine the gift purchase transactioninformation. In some examples, the network resource is customized forthe gift giver based on the purchase transaction information. Forexample, marketing communications may be selected based on thedetermined purchase transaction information and incorporated into thenetwork resource that is presented to the gift giver.

In some examples, the access information in the gift messagenotification that is sent to the gift recipient includes a link thatincorporates a URI of a network resource (e.g., a web page) that isaffiliated with the vendor and an identifier (UUID) that is specific tothe gifting transaction. Selection of the link causes the gift giver'sclient network node (communication device) to navigate to the networkresource via the URI. Based on the gifting transaction specificidentifier, the gifting system identifies the gift message andconfigures the network resource to present interface controls foraccessing. The gifting transaction specific identifier also may be usedin a database lookup to determine the gift purchase transactioninformation. In some examples, the network resource is customized forthe gift recipient based on the purchase transaction information. Forexample, marketing communications may be selected based on thedetermined purchase transaction information and incorporated into thenetwork resource that is presented to the gift recipient.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a shopping cart interface 70 that the giftingsystem 30 may present to the gift giver 32 in the process of purchasingan item and designating the item as a gift. In this process, the giftgiver 32 typically accesses an online web site administered by thevending service 36, browses various web pages of the web site presentingitems that are available for sale, and adds one or more items to anelectronic shopping cart that is associated with the gift giver 32. Whenthe gift giver 32 is ready to confirm the purchase of the one or moreitems, the user selects a “View Cart” button or the like and the giftingsystem 30 presents the shopping cart interface 70. The shopping cartinterface 70 allows the gift giver 32 to review the items in theelectronic shopping cart, update the quantities of those items,designate one or more of the items as gift items, and indicate whether amessage should be included with the gift item. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 5, the gift giver 32 has selected a tablet computerfor purchase, selected a “Gift” option 72 to designate the item as agift, and selected a “Message” option 74 to indicate that a messageshould be included with the gift.

After completing the shopping cart review page, the gift giver 32 mayselect a “Continue” button 76 to proceed to a gift deliveryspecification page (not shown), which allows the gift giver 32 to entercontact information for the gift recipient 34 (e.g., name, shippingaddress, email address, and telephone number), select a delivery method,and provide other delivery related information and preferences.

Referring to FIG. 6, after completing the gift delivery specificationpage, the gifting system 30 presents a gift options interface 80 to thegift giver 32. The gift options interface 80 allows the gift giver 32 toindicate 81 whether or not the order contains a gift and to select anoption 83 to defer specification of the gift message to a later time.The gift options interface 80 also provides the gift giver 32 withonline tools 82, 84, and 86 for creating one or more messages that willbe available to the give recipient 34 after the gift has been delivered.In the illustrated example, the gift options interface 80 includes toolsfor creating one or more of a text message, an audio message, and avideo message. In some examples, the gifting system 30 receives textual,audio, and video input from the gift giver 32 through an interface witha client application (e.g., a web browser or a customized application orbrowser plugin provided by the gifting system 30) executing on a clientnode of the gift giver 32. The client application interacts withhardware components of the client node (e.g., a keyboard, microphone,and camera) to obtain the inputs from the gift giver 32 that aretransmitted to the gifting system 30 for incorporation into the givemessage.

Referring to FIG. 7, in response to the gift giver's selection of thegift message specification deferment (“remind me later”) option 81,gifting system 30 replaces the message creation tools 82-84 with acontact information form 87 that allows the user to enter his or hercontact information (e.g., First Name, Last Name, and electronic mailaddress), which will be used by the gifting system 30 to send a remindermessage inviting the gift giver 32 to specify a gift message for thegift recipient.

After completing the gift options page 80, the gift giver 32 may selecta “Continue” button 88 to proceed to one or more payment pages thatallow the gift giver 32 to provide payment information and confirmpayment for purchasing the gift item. Examples of such paymentinformation include contact information for the gift giver 32 (e.g.,name, address, and telephone number), payment method, and paymentdetails (e.g., credit card number and security code). During the paymentprocess, the gift giver 32 typically is given an option to acceptcertain terms and conditions regarding the gift, delivery of the gift,payment, and use of the give giver's personal data for direct marketingpurposes.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the gift messaging process isincorporated into a checkout process flow at a point before the giftgiver 32 purchases the gift item. In other examples, the gift messagingprocess occurs after the checkout process has completed. In still otherexamples, the gift is available free of charge and the gifting system 30performs the gift messaging process without requiring the gift giver 32to proceed through the payment process flow. In general, the giftmessaging process provided by the gifting system 30 is applicable to anytransfer of goods from the gift giver 32 and the gift recipient 34.

If the gift giver 32 has selected the gift message specificationdeferment (“remind me later”) option 81 and entered his or her contactinformation in the contact information form 87, the gifting system 30will send the gift giver 32 a reminder message after the purchasetransaction has completed.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a reminder message 89 (e.g., an electronicmail message) that is addressed to the specified messaging account ofthe gift giver 32 (Sylvia). In some examples, the reminder message 89 isgenerated automatically from a standard form containing variable datafields that are populated with values that are extracted from thepurchase transaction information that the gifting system 30 hasassociated with the gifting transaction specific identifier. Examples ofsuch extracted information include the gift giver's name (Sylvia), thevendor's name (Merchant), the gift recipient's name (Joe), and the nameof the gift product (Product X). The reminder message 89 also includes alink 91 to a network resource that is affiliated with the vendor forspecifying the gift message. In some examples, the link includes a URIand the gifting transaction specific identifier. When selected, thistype of link causes a web browser application installed on the giftgiver's communication device to navigate to the network resourceidentified by the URI and to pass the gifting transaction specificidentifier to a server network node associated with the networkresource. In other examples, the link includes an application-specificidentifier and the gifting transaction specific identifier. An exampleof such a link is amazon://giftpixel?id=12412124, where “amazon://”identifies an application affiliated with the vendor Amazon.com,“giftpixel” identifies a type of network resource on which present thegift message creation tools, and “12412124” is a UUID of the giftmessage that will be created. When selected, this type of link causesthe gift giver's communication device to attempt to open a vendorspecific application affiliated with the vendor on the gift giver'scommunication device. If the vendor specific application already isinstalled, the gift giver's communication device opens the vendorspecific application. The vendor specific application then navigates toa URI associated with the vendor. The vendor opens a network resource ofthe appropriate type to present the message creation tools. If thevendor specific application is not installed, the link will cause thegift giver's communication device to navigate to an online resource(e.g., an app store) to download and install the vendor specificapplication on the gift giver's communication device.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a network resource 93 (e.g., a web page) thatis presented to the gift giver after the gift giver selects the link 91in the reminder message 89. In addition to presenting the messagecreation tools 82-86 for creating the gift message, the network resource93 also provides a contact information form 95 that allows the user toenter the gift recipient's contact information (e.g., First Name, LastName, and electronic mail address), which will be used by the giftingsystem 30 to send a notification message informing the gift recipient ofthe availability of the gift message. The gift giver also may specifywhether the notification message should be delivered when the gift isdelivered or on a particular date selected by the gift giver.

After the gift giver 32 has specified the gift message, the giftingsystem 30 sends the notification message to the gift recipient 34 at thedesignated time (e.g., when the gift is delivered or on the designateddate).

FIG. 10 shows an example of a gift message 97 (e.g., an electronic mailmessage) that is addressed to the specified messaging account of thegift recipient 34 (Neil). In some examples, the gift message 97 isgenerated automatically from a standard form containing variable datafields that are populated with values that are extracted from thepurchase transaction information that the gifting system 30 hasassociated with the gifting transaction specific identifier. Examples ofsuch extracted information include the gift giver's name (Sylvia), thevendor's name (Merchant), the gift recipient's name (Joe), and the nameof the gift product (Product X). The gift message 97 also includes alink 99 to a network resource that is affiliated with the vendor foraccessing the gift message. In some examples, the link includes a URIand the gifting transaction specific identifier. When selected, thistype of link causes a web browser application installed on the giftrecipient's communication device to navigate to the network resourceidentified by the URI and to pass the gifting transaction specificidentifier to a server network node associated with the networkresource. In other examples, the link includes an application-specificidentifier and the gifting transaction specific identifier. An exampleof such a link is amazon://giftpixel?id=12412124, where “amazon://”identifies an application affiliated with the vendor Amazon.com,“giftpixel” identifies a type of network resource on which present thegift message, and “12412124” is a UUID of the gift message. Whenselected, this type of link causes the gift recipient's communicationdevice to attempt to open a vendor specific application affiliated withthe vendor on the gift recipient's communication device. If the vendorspecific application already is installed, the gift recipient'scommunication device opens the vendor specific application. The vendorspecific application then navigates to a URI associated with the vendor.The vendor opens a network resource of the appropriate type to presentthe gift message. If the vendor specific application is not installed,the link will cause the gift recipient's communication device tonavigate to an online resource (e.g., an app store) to download andinstall the vendor specific application on the gift recipient'scommunication device.

After the gift recipient 34 has received the gift notification, the giftrecipient 34 is able to use the access information to receive the giftmessage from the gifting system 30. In this process, the gift recipient34 transmits the access information to the gifting system 30. Thegifting system 30 uses the access information to retrieve the giftmessage from memory and present the gift message to the gift recipient34 along with auxiliary customer acquisition information (e.g.,promotions, cross-selling recommendations, and opportunities foracquiring personal information from the gift recipient 34) that has beendetermined as being potentially relevant to the gift recipient 34.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a method of gift messaging based customeracquisition that is performed after the gift recipient receives thenotification message. This method typically is performed by at least oneserver node of the gifting system 30. In accordance with this method, arequest is received from a client network node to access a gift messageassociated with a gift purchased from a vendor by a product purchaserfor a gift recipient in connection with a purchase transaction (FIG. 11,block 101). Based on the request to access the gift message, the clientnetwork node is provided a network resource that includes a messagedelivery control to access the gift message and a marketing opt-incontrol to indicate a preference regarding receipt of direct marketingcommunications (FIG. 11, block 103). In connection with the messagedelivery control, the gift message is presented to the client networknode (FIG. 11, block 105). In connection with the marketing opt-incontrol, an indication of a preference regarding receipt of directmarketing communications is obtaining from the client network node (FIG.11, block 107).

In some examples, the network resource online gift message interfaceincludes a gift message access web page that provides the messagedelivery control and the marketing opt-in control. In response to inputfrom the client network node in connection with the message deliverycontrol, the gift message is presented to the client network node and amarketing preference record of the preference regarding receipt ofdirect marketing communications indicated by the marketing consentcontrol is generated. Information about the purchase transactiontypically is determined from the request to access the gift message, andthe network resource online gift message interface is customized basedon the purchase transaction information. For example, the networkresource online gift message interface may be customized byincorporating into the network resource online gift message interfacemarketing communications selected based on the purchase transactioninformation.

In some examples, the gift message is presented to the client networknode in response to input from the client network node in connectionwith the message delivery control. After presenting the gift message tothe client network node, the preference regarding receipt of directmarketing communications indicated by the marketing consent control isobtained and a marketing preference record of the indicated preferenceis generated. In some examples, in addition to recording the marketingconsent or preference indicated by the gift recipient, the marketingpreference record also includes information that evidences the fact thatthe gift recipient did in fact provide such consent. Examples of suchinformation include the gift recipient's messaging address (e.g., theelectronic mail address associated with the notification message), thetime the marketing preference or consent was captured, and informationabout the message viewing session (e.g., a device identifier thatuniquely identifies the gift recipient's network node, an InternetProtocol (IP) address of the gift recipient's network node, and anetwork address (URI) of the network resource on which the gift messageis presented).

FIG. 12 shows an example of a message presentation page 90 forpresenting a gift message and auxiliary customer acquisition informationto the gift recipient 34. In the illustrated example, the messagepresentation page 90 includes a message section 92 for presenting thegift message to the gift recipient 34, a promotions section 94 forpresenting promotions and cross-selling recommendations to the giftrecipient 34, and a registration section 96 that enables the giftrecipient 34 to register the gift with the gifting system 30.

The message section 92 includes a background that shows an image of thegift 98 (i.e., a tablet computer) and several related or complementaryproducts (e.g., a laptop computer 100 and a mobile telephone 102) thatthe customer acquisition management service 40 has identified as beingpotentially effective in attracting the interest of the gift recipient34 based on, for example, attributes of the purchased gift, the giftgiver, the gift recipient, and other information (see FIG. 2). Themessage section 92 also includes a playback control 104 for presentingthe gift message to the gift recipient. The gift message may include,for example, one or more of textual content, audio content, and imagecontent (e.g., still images and video images). The gift message may bepresented in a variety of different ways including, for example, in themessage section 92, in a separate pop-put window superimposed on themessage presentation page 90, or on another page. The message section 92includes a “Share” button 105 that allows the gift recipient 34 toinstruct the gifting system 30 to post the gift message to an account ofthe gift recipient 34 with a social networking service (e.g., Facebook,Google+, tumblr, and Twitter).

The promotions section 94 includes a list of promotions andcross-selling recommendations that the customer acquisition managementservice 40 (see FIG. 2) has identified as being potentially effective inattracting the interest of the gift recipient 34 based on, for example,attributes of the purchased gift, the gift giver, the gift recipient,and other information. In the illustrated example, the promotionssection 94 includes the following recommendations: a protection plan forthe tablet computer, covers for the tablet computer, cables and adaptersfor the tablet computer, and applications (Apps) for the tabletcomputer.

The registration section 96 includes a registration form for registeringthe gift in exchange for receiving certain benefits (e.g., productwarranty and support service coverage for the gift). The registrationform prompts the gift recipient 34 to enter name, email address, andpassword information. The registration section 96 also includes a“Register” button that allows the gift recipient 34 to submit theentered form information, including the terms of service acceptanceacknowledgement, to the gifting system 30. In this example, beforesubmitting the registration information, the gift recipient 34 mayindicate acceptance of certain contract terms (e.g., terms andconditions for the use of the services of the gifting system 30) bychecking a checkbox 106. In some examples, the contract terms includeprovisions relating to the gift (e.g., provisions relating to returningor exchanging the gift and warrantying the gift) and the use of the giftrecipient's personal data (e.g., provisions allowing the gifting system30 to use the gift recipient's personal data for direct marketingpurposes).

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the message delivery control 104 andthe marketing opt-in control 106 that are associated with an indicationthat the gift message is available (“Click to Play”) without revealingcontents of the gift message.

FIG. 13 shows another example 120 of a network resource presenting amessage notification interface that includes a message delivery control122 and a marketing opt-in control 124 that are associated with anindication that the gift message is available (“Click to Open”) withoutrevealing contents of the gift message. In this example, the indicationof the availability of the gift message includes an image 126 over whichare superimposed the message delivery control 122 and the marketingopt-in control 124. The image 126 depicts an envelope and the messagedelivery control is presented to metaphorically suggest that selectionof the message delivery control opens the envelope to reveal the giftmessage. In this example, the selection of the message delivery control122 triggers both the presentation of the gift message to the clientnetwork node and the generation of a marketing preference record of thepreference regarding receipt of direct marketing communicationsindicated by the marketing opt-in control 124.

FIG. 14 shows another example 130 of a network resource presenting amessage notification interface that includes a message delivery control132 and a marketing opt-in control 134. In this example, the giftmessage is a video, and the indication that the gift message isavailable is the opening frame of the video over which are superimposedthe message delivery control 132 and the marketing opt-in control 124.In this example, the selection of the message delivery control 132triggers both the presentation of the gift message to the client networknode and the generation of a marketing preference record of thepreference regarding receipt of direct marketing communicationsindicated by the marketing opt-in control 134.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a gift recipient's social network web page110 that includes a section 112 for sharing messages with other membersof the social networking service. These messages include messagescreated by the gift recipient 34 on the social network web page 110, andmessages posted to the gift recipient's social network page 110. Amongthe posted messages is a copy 114 of the gift message that was posted tothe gift recipient's web page 110 by the gifting system 30 in responseto the gift recipient's selection of the “Share” button 105 in themessage section 92 of the message presentation page 90 shown in FIG. 12.In this regard, in response to selection of the “Share” button 105, thegifting system 30 transmits to the social networking service a messagepackage 116 that includes the gift message 118 along with auxiliarycustomer acquisition information 120 that is identified by the customeracquisition management service 40 (see FIG. 2) as being potentiallyeffective in attracting the interest of members of the social networkingservice who are likely to view the message. In some examples, theauxiliary customer acquisition information includes promotions and othercustomer acquisition information relating to the gift itself, as opposedto marketing information relating to products and services identified asbeing related to or complementary to the gift (e.g., the marketinginformation that is presented to the gift recipient 34 on the messagepresentation page 90).

IV. Conclusion

The examples that are described herein provide systems and methods forgift messaging based customer acquisition. These embodiments solve theproblems involved in directing effective customer acquisition efforts toa gift recipient in a cost effective way by leveraging a giftrecipient's desire to receive a personalized gift message from anexisting customer (i.e., the gift giver) to incentivize the giftrecipient to receive those customer acquisition efforts.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the claims.

1. A method performed by a network service implemented by one or morecomputers in a network communications environment, the method comprisingby the network service: in a communication session with a network nodeassociated with a sender, obtaining from the network node contactinformation for a recipient and an audio recording of a message from thesender to the recipient; based on the contact information, sending therecipient a notification that the recorded audio message is available;based on receipt of a request in connection with the notification,transmitting to the recipient an audio message comprising an invitationfor the recipient to specify an opt-in preference regarding receipt ofdirect marketing communications; and in response to receipt of anindication of the recipient's opt-in preference, triggering both aplayback of the audio recording of the message from the sender on anetwork node associated with the recipient and a generation of amarketing preference record comprising the indication of the recipient'sopt-in preference received from the network node associated with therecipient and information evidencing the indication of the recipient'sopt-in preference.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the marketingpreference record comprises a recording of the recipient's specificationof the opt-in preference.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thetransmitting comprises transmitting the audio message to the recipientover a telephony connection with a telephony device associated with therecipient.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the marketing preferencerecord comprises an audio recording of the recipient's specification ofthe opt-in preference.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtainingis performed in the context of a purchase transaction between the senderand a vendor regarding at least one product designated as a gift for therecipient.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, by the networkservice, sending to the sender an invitation to create a gift messagefor the recipient; wherein the obtaining is performed after the sender'sacceptance of the invitation to create a gift message for the recipient.7. The method of claim 5, further comprising, in response to receipt ofthe recipient's opt-in preference authorizing receipt of directmarketing communications, delivering one or more direct marketingcommunications to the recipient.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising customizing the one or more direct marketing communicationsbased on information about the purchase transaction.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the audio message inviting the recipient to specify anopt-in preference regarding receipt of direct marketing communicationsis rendered on the network node associated with the recipient before theaudio recording of the message from the sender to the recipient.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending thenotification to a telephone number associated with the recipient. 11.The method of claim 1, wherein the sending comprises sending thenotification to a messaging address associated with the recipient. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining animage-based recording of the sender, and the triggering comprisestriggering the playback of both the audio recording of the message fromthe sender and the image-based recording in response to receipt of theindication of the recipient's opt-in preference.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein the image-based recording comprises a recorded video messagefrom the sender, and the recorded audio message is a component of therecorded video message.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein thenotification that the recorded audio message is available is sent to therecipient in a text based communication.
 15. The method of claim 1,further comprising, after the recipient receives the message from thesender, enabling the recipient to transmit an electronic networkcommunication responsive to the message from the sender.
 16. The methodof claim 1, wherein the sending is performed on a date specified by thesender.
 17. A system comprising one or more computers and one or morestorage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one ormore computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operationscomprising: in a communication session with a network node associatedwith a sender, obtaining from the network node an audio recording of amessage from the sender to a recipient and contact information for therecipient; based on the contact information, sending the recipient anotification that the recorded audio message is available; based onreceipt of a request in connection with the notification, transmittingto the recipient an audio message comprising an invitation for therecipient to specify an opt-in preference regarding receipt of directmarketing communications; and in response to receipt of an indication ofthe recipient's opt-in preference, triggering both a playback of theaudio recording of the message from the sender on a network nodeassociated with the recipient and a generation of a marketing preferencerecord comprising the indication of the recipient's opt-in preferencereceived from the network node associated with the recipient andinformation evidencing the indication of the recipient's opt-inpreference.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the marketing preferencerecord comprises a recording of the recipient's specification of theopt-in preference.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein, when executed bythe one or more computers, the stored instructions cause the one or morecomputers to perform operations further comprising: delivering one ormore direct marketing communications to the recipient in response toreceipt of the recipient's opt-in preference authorizing receipt ofdirect marketing communications; and wherein the audio message invitingthe recipient to specify an opt-in preference regarding receipt ofdirect marketing communications is rendered on a network node associatedwith the recipient before the audio recording of the message from thesender.
 20. One or more non-transitory computer storage media encodedwith a computer program product comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers toperform operations comprising: in a communication session with a networknode associated with a sender, obtaining from the network node an audiorecording of a message from the sender to a recipient and contactinformation for the recipient; based on the contact information, sendingthe recipient a notification that the recorded audio message isavailable; based on receipt of a request in connection with thenotification, transmitting to the recipient an audio message comprisingan invitation for the recipient to specify an opt-in preferenceregarding receipt of direct marketing communications; and in response toreceipt of an indication of the recipient's opt-in preference,triggering both a playback of the audio recording of the message fromthe sender on a network node associated with the recipient and ageneration of a marketing preference record comprising the indication ofthe recipient's opt-in preference received from the network nodeassociated with the recipient and information evidencing the indicationof the recipient's opt-in preference.